Thief of Shadows
by noah.r.garrett
Summary: For as long as any cat can remember, there have always been four mighty Clans: StormClan, StreamClan, IceClan and RockClan; each with their own distinct skills and territory. But a haunting mystery floats through StormClan, the Fierce and Brave. A loyal warrior has been murdered and one cat is to blame. Thrushwing, a new warrior, has a lead to prove the accusations wrong.


Prologue

Thornstar bounded to the Highrock to announce a clan council meeting. He scrabbled up and called out as loud as he could, "Cats of StormClan! Gather around the Highrock as I have news for you!"

Warriors, apprentices and elders all stopped everything that they were doing and walked over to the cliff edge in which their noble leader was sitting. It took a while for the meeting to start; Thornstar waited patiently for it to quiet down. He could see the apprentices down below shuffling their paws nervously and constantly shifting around.

"It is always a strong time for StormClan when we add more warriors to our Clan," Thornstar began. "And with that, Thrushpaw, Ravenpaw and Spinpaw, I'd like you to come up here, please." With a flick of his tail, the three cats bounded the rock with obvious excitement. He could feel their positive energy flowing through the clearing.

Spinpaw stepped up to Thornstar first. "Spinpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Without hesitation, Spinpaw briskly nodded. "I do!" Her paws were twitching with apprehension.

"Very well," Thornstar replied. He raised his voice louder. "From this moment on, Spinpaw, you will be known as Spintail. StormClan honors your courage, determination and loyalty." With that, Thornstar dipped his head and Spintail gave her leader's shoulder a swift lick.

"Thank-you," the she-cat whispered almost silently. Thornstar smiled and she hopped down from the rock. As she did, calls rang out from the crowd, "Spintail! Spintail!" She couldn't do anything else but bristle and not make any eye contact with any other cats.

_She's quite nervous_, Thornstar thought, _but then again so will the other two. _Ravenpaw stepped up next and received the warrior name of Ravensong. Thrushpaw then was named Thrushwing. The meeting was dismissed and cats began to return to their normal duties.

Thornstar watched the three cats bound away from Highrock, their heads close together talking with one another. He listened to their conversation as they went up the left slope of the gorge.

"I can't believe we're finally warriors!" Spintail beamed. Her tail tip was twitching with excitement. "D'you think we'll be given apprentices anytime soon?"

Ravensong snorted. "Doubt it. We've only been warriors for a few minutes. Don't think too far ahead, mouse-brain." She broke away from the group about a fox-length.

Spintail flattened her ears and cuffed at Ravensong's cheek playfully. The two she-cats wrestled on the ground for a few minutes, then sat back up and gave themselves a grooming. "We should go see the new kits," Ravensong suggested light-heartedly. "I've heard they're really cute."

Thrushwing had been standing there awkwardly for a few moments, then decided to speak for once. "Okay," he murmured. He followed his friends up the slope and to the nursery.

Upon entering the nursery, they all noticed that it was a _bit _crowded in there. Kits were nuzzling around their mother's. They walked over to the new litter and sat down.

Spintail sniffed the biggest kit. "Who is this?" He was a ginger-and-cream tom, and he had giant paws for a kit his size. His mother replied with a simple "Lightkit".

Thrushwing and Ravensong immediately felt uneasy. They both stood up at the same time and Ravensong stuttered, "I-I just remembered there was something I needed to do." She bolted out of the nursery and into the Southern Hunting Grounds.

Thrushwing still looked a bit uncomfortable. He couldn't think of anything to say except, "That's a lovely name". He sat there awkwardly with Spintail as she played with the kit. Lightkit jumped on Spintail for a few minutes, stopped, then glanced at Thrushwing. "You're next!" He yelped. He launched himself at the brown tom. Upon impact he yelled, "Bah! I'm a bad guy! I'm going to take over the Clans!" Thrushwing looked surprised. He knew it was just a game, but he couldn't help but feel worried about how serious the kitten had sounded. He sat up and flattened his back fur and began to groom his hip. Between licks, he said, "That's a lot of ambition for one tiny kit."

Lightkit looked hurt. He sprang to his paws and puffed out his fur to make himself look twice his size. "No I'm not," he argued, "I'm plenty big!" Once he noticed that the tom had stopped paying attention, he sat down calmly and said, "When I get big like you, I'm going to be a great leader, just like Thornstar."

Thrushwing looked down at the kit and smiled. "Oh, really?" He inquired. "Do you really think you're up for that?"

"Yeah," Lightkit said decisively. There were a few heartbeats of silence. "Is being a warrior hard?" The kit asked curiously. "Like, patrolling and hunting and fighting and stuff?"

Thrushwing shrugged. "It's pretty easy. Remember that you do all that as an apprentice too." He cuffed Lightkit's ear playfully. "And if you're as big as you say you are, you're going to be a big, brave cat. Just what StormClan needs."

Lightkit's jaw dropped in excitement. "I'm going to be the best warrior _ever_!" He mewed. He stifled a yawn and his eyelids began to flutter. He strode over to his mother, tail and head lifted up high, then lay down, eyes already closed. The kit was asleep in a matter of seconds. Spintail stood up and gaped her jaws in an enormous yawn. "Come on, Thrushwing, let's go find Ravensong and get ready for our vigil."

Thrushwing snorted. "Knowing you, you might fall asleep!" he joked. He whipped around and left the nursery. He walked down the slope into the heart of the camp. He saw Thornstar still sitting at the top of the ledge, gazing over his Clan. Thrushwing climbed up and sat beside him quietly.

Thornstar, still looking into the clearing, spoke softly. "You've grown up so fast." He sounded content, yet surprise darkened his tone. He turned his head to Thrushwing. "I remember when we found you by the river. You were so small then."

Thrushwing nodded. "And then I was taken in by StormClan. You've all been so good to me. It's almost like I was born here." He dipped his head. "I know I don't remember my parents…or the day I was found. Maybe it would be better if the Clan didn't know."

Thornstar snorted. "We already get teased by the other Clans because they know that we aren't 'pure' like we should be. But no cat in this forest is pure. We all came from somewhere. That's how our founders started the Clans. They took in housecats and rouges and loners. We all have it in our blood. But they don't understand." He stood up. "If we were to tell the Clan, they would definitely be surprised. But they would still know you as Thrushwing."

Thornstar jumped down from the ledge. Over his shoulder he called out, "Get ready for your vigil, Thrushwing. Get Ravensong and Spintail too."

Thrushwing nodded. He jumped down and went to grab Ravensong and Spintail. The two had gotten distracted by Smokefoot and Streampath, their former mentors. He went up the west slope and came into their conversation.

"…remember what you do this for," Streampath reminded them, "because this is the beginning of the rest of your life." She saw Thrushwing as he walked up to the group. "Hello, Thrushwing. How are you today?"

"I'm fine, Streampath, thank you. Do you mind if I borrow these two?" He pointed his tail at Ravensong and Spintail. "It's time for our vigil."

Smokefoot stood up to leave. "Oh yes, quite. Sorry for keeping you. Goodnight you three," he spoke warmly. He turned with Streampath and headed for the warrior's den. Thrushwing, Ravensong and Spintail turned for the Highledge. "Get ready to stay up all night," Ravensong muttered. "We won't be able to sleep much tomorrow."

Spintail sighed. "I know. And I don't think I'll be able to handle it. I'm already asleep on my paws as it is!" She yawned. "What about you, Thrushwing?"

Thrushwing jumped at the sound of his name. "I think I'll be okay," he decided. "I'm usually up late at night anyways."

Ravensong let out a purr of laughter. "Yeah, sitting at the side of the river staring at nothing!" She and Spintail exchanged amused glances. Thrushwing flattened his ears. He did go out to the river, because it was his quiet spot. It was where he could think to himself and be peaceful. The river itself was silent, so it was a nice place to go at night.

Spintail nudged him playfully. "Oh, come on, Thrushwing. You know we're just teasing. We're all friends here, and that will never change."

Thrushwing let out a fake purr. "I know. Come on, we'd better get over to the Highledge."


End file.
